Chapter 16: This Doesn't Count! (1)
Chapter 16: This Doesn't Count! (1)
A single move.
That was truly all it took.
One strike was all Patrick needed to bring down the Blood Wolf Wanderer, Ma Jae-ho.
Standing tall and imposing before the fallen Ma Jae-ho, Patrick exuded the majestic aura of an absolute master…
“See? Told you it was nothing. Why’d you try to stop me from wrecking this guy? Huh?”
…Or not. Not even a little bit.
He looked less like an absolute master and more like an absolute thug.
However, no matter how frivolous or undignified his behavior was, it didn't change the result he had achieved.
“M-My god…”
“He took down Ma Jae-ho in one hit?”
“……”
The commoners watching secretly from the sidelines were shocked, but the shock felt by those from the Kongtong Sect was on another level.
Ma Jae-ho was strong.
Even if the Sword of Wise Governance fought with his full strength, the outcome wouldn't be guaranteed.
Yet, to take down such a man in a single blow…
Who on earth is he? Looking at his appearance, he’s not from the Central Plains. Is he a master from the World Beyond? Why would such a person come here?
Thoughts raced through Yun-gi’s mind, one after another. And in the meantime…
“A-Attack!”
“Avenge the Sect Leader!”
“Surround and strike him!”
A beat late, the disciples of the Blood Saber Sect swarmed toward Patrick.
Seeing the coordinated attack of nearly three hundred disciples, Yun-gi snapped out of his thoughts and shouted.
“Help the Twin Dragon Sect! Drive back the Blood Saber Sect—”
K-Boom!
“Aaaargh!”
“Gah!”
He couldn't finish his sentence.
Before the words could even leave his mouth, Patrick vanished. What followed in Yun-gi’s vision was nothing short of a bolt of lightning.
All he could see were flashes of light.
By the time the flashes faded, dozens of Blood Saber Sect disciples were flying through the air as if they’d been hit by a runaway carriage.
What kind of sight was this?
In the time it took to take a few breaths, over a hundred disciples had already been laid low.
“Ugh… Uuuugh…”
“He’s a monster…”
The remaining members of the Blood Saber Sect lost their initial momentum, faltering and coming to a dead halt.
Patrick clicked his tongue and spoke.
“Tsk, tsk. Unorthodox Faction kids these days have no spine. Hey, you bastards. How do you expect to make a living as villains when you’re this gutless?”
“……”
“Man, back in my day, the Unorthodox guys had some grit. What is the Murim coming to…”
Now he was even acting like a preachy old-timer to the villains.
Patrick rested his twin swords over his shoulders and asked, “So? You gonna keep going? Or what?”
At Patrick’s words, a scholar with a goatee stepped forward from the Blood Saber Sect’s ranks.
His voice trembled as he spoke.
“Who… Who exactly are you?”
“I am Patrick Schneider, the Bong Gong of the Great Twin Dragon Sect.”
“You are clearly not of the Central Plains. Why are you interfering in the affairs of the Jianghu?”
“Didn't you hear me? I said I’m the Twin Dragon Sect’s Bong Gong.”
“Even so…”
“And so what if someone from the World Beyond interferes? What are you gonna do about it? Huh?”
“……”
“If you’ve got a problem, let’s settle it. Come on. Bring it. Come get some.”
His face was the kind that made you instinctively think, What kind of thug is this?
But regardless of the man’s identity, the reality remained unchanged.
Whether Orthodox or Unorthodox, the Jianghu was a place that ultimately operated on the Rule of the Strong.
Their Sect Leader was down, and a large portion of their main force had been decimated.
Though some remained, to be honest…
There is no chance of winning against that monster…
Whack!
“Gah! Why… why did you hit me?”
“I felt like you were calling me a monster in your head, so I hit you.”
“……”
“What? You got a problem?”
Logic didn't work on him.
Advisor Jang had no choice but to swallow his rage and humiliation.
“W-We will withdraw.”
“You admitting defeat?”
“…I… admit… Gack!”
Thud!
“Hurry it up, will you? You want another one?”
Where in the world is it the law to hit someone first and then tell them to hurry?
He wanted to scream it, but he couldn't.
Was this man really from an Orthodox sect?
No matter how he looked at it, the man was a piece of work—the kind of loose cannon you wouldn't even find often in the Unorthodox Faction.
“We admit defeat. Our Blood Saber Sect will withdraw from Cheonsu County.”
In the end, the Blood Saber Sect conceded.
This was equivalent to acknowledging that Cheonsu County was entirely the territory of the Twin Dragon Sect.
“Should’ve said so from the start. Now, settle the bill before you go.”
“…Settle the bill?”
“Huh?”
“……?”
“……?”
Both men wore expressions that said they had no idea what the other was talking about.
And it was Patrick whose face first transformed into that of a demonic god.
“Don't tell me you were planning to leave empty-handed? You losers think you can just walk away without paying compensation after getting trashed?”
“Compensation? What damage have we caused?”
“What damage? Do you have any idea how much the people here were trembling in fear today because of you guys? Huh?”
“No, that’s just unreasonable—”
“Unreasonable?”
“I-I mean, what I meant was…”
“What? Go on. Say it. Say the words that might just be the last ones you ever speak. Go ahead.”
Advisor Jang glanced around.
But every Blood Saber disciple who met his gaze looked away as if they’d seen a plague victim.
And their Sect Leader was still unconscious.
Grit.
Useless lot…
Ultimately, it was his job to wrap this up.
“If it’s compensation you want, how much are you asking for?”
“How much is the Blood Saber Sect’s total net worth?”
“……”
The moment Advisor Jang saw Patrick’s eyes sparkling with anticipation, he had an intuition.
He realized he shouldn't open his mouth recklessly.
“T-That is something we’d have to go back and calculate. I cannot give you an answer on the spot.”
“Oh, I get that. But you’ve got a ballpark figure, right? A rough estimate.”
What are you going to do with that? Don't tell me…
“What? You think I’m gonna ask for everything once I know your total assets? Hey, give me some credit.”
“Master, I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what you’re planning,” Persona chimed in.
“Am not. I was only going to ask for 99.9 percent. I have a conscience, you know.”
Is that what you call a conscience?
“Don't lie.”
Even his disciple didn't trust him.
They were truly a fantastic pair. But more than that…
Who is this peerless beauty…
Advisor Jang grew tense at the appearance of the woman dressed in black martial robes with a large saber strapped to her back.
Given that she called that monster 'Master,' she was likely a formidable monster herself.
“For the compensation, we will take all the cash you currently have on hand,” Persona said, stepping in.
“Pardon? Ah… yes.”
“And I’ll need a vow that you will never set foot in Cheonsu County again.”
“Ahem, understood. I, Advisor Jang, promise this in the name of the Blood Saber Sect.”
To be honest, he wouldn't come back even if they begged him.
If he had known such a monster was here, he would have stopped the Sect Leader by any means necessary.
As Persona stepped forward to finalize the agreement, Patrick clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“Tsk, that’s not enough. When you’re bleeding an Unorthodox sect, you’ve gotta suck them dry to the very marrow…”
I am never coming back. Never…
*
A short while later.
After the Blood Saber Sect had retreated, Patrick looked at the items before him with a satisfied smile.
“Wow. Many a mickle makes a muckle. This is quite a haul. Business must be good for the Unorthodox guys these days.”
Patrick had literally picked the pockets of all three hundred sect members.
The way he thoroughly stripped them of every single coin looked practiced, to say the least.
He had even confiscated the weapons the Blood Saber Sect had brought.
[A weapon is a martial artist’s life!]
[Really? Then should I kill you before I take it?]
[…….]
There was some minor resistance, but it was naturally ignored.
Looking at the bulging pouches of money and the even larger pile of weapons, Patrick grinned happily.
“Yul. Take the cash, and set the weapons aside. I’ll sell them to a blacksmith later.”
“Are you… are you really going to do that?”
“Of course. Why? You want to give them back now?”
“……”
That was definitely not it.
Patrick walked over to Moon Yul, put an arm around his shoulder, and whispered in a low voice.
“Yul, listen closely.”
“To… what?”
Moon Yul’s voice was cautious.
It was only natural.
He had just witnessed Patrick’s inhuman martial prowess with his own eyes.
I knew he was strong, but I didn't realize he was such a high-level master…
The Blood Saber Sect Leader was a master on a completely different level than someone like Great Bear Twin Axes Kang Man.
Yet Patrick’s prowess, which suppressed such a master as easily as twisting a child’s wrist…
Honestly, I can't even fathom it. Can our Twin Dragon Sect’s martial arts really become that strong?
Moon Yul saw hope through Patrick.
With this Bong Gong, the Twin Dragon Sect could soar into the Jianghu once again.
A seed of respect for Patrick began to sprout in a corner of Moon Yul’s heart…
“As a rule, you grab money whenever you can.”
“……”
“And it’s even better if it’s from the Unorthodox Faction. You got that?”
“……”
…And then it withered away.
Right. There was no way a man like this could be a supreme master.
It just didn't feel right.
The Blood Wolf Wanderer must have been weaker than expected. Anyway…
“Yes. I understand. Everyone, let’s move this.”
“Yes, Yul-hyung… I mean, Senior Brother Yul.”
“The weapons are sharp, so be careful.”
“Yes, First Senior Brother!”
The young disciples of the Twin Dragon Sect began to gather the spoils.
Patrick watched them with a proud look. Just then…
“Ahem, would it be an intrusion if I asked for a moment of your time?”
“Huh? You guys were still here?”
Yun-gi, the Sword of Wise Governance, looked at Patrick with an expression like he’d swallowed a bug, but he quickly composed himself and continued.
“I have witnessed your truly magnificent martial prowess. I did not know the Twin Dragon Sect possessed such an excellent master.”
“Ahem!”
His skills are excellent, but his character…
“If it isn't an intrusion, may I ask of your origins?”
“It’s no intrusion. I’m Patrick Schneider from the Harbor Duchy.”
“……”
“Never heard of it, right?”
“My apologies. I am not well-versed in the affairs of the World Beyond…”
He had only heard that if one traveled far to the west, there was a place filled with people with different hair and eye colors.
A man of the Central Plains couldn't possibly know every single country there.
Furthermore, the Harbor Duchy wasn't even located there, so there was truly no way for him to know.
“Ahem, but why would someone from the World Beyond be serving as a Bong Gong for the Twin Dragon Sect in the Central Plains?”
“Ah, that’s because… well, it’s a long story.”
“……”
“To keep it short, have you ever heard of the Radiant Dragon Hero, Jincheon?”
“…I have not.”
“Ho? You don't know him? He had a duel with your Kongtong Sect Leader and won overwhelmingly. You really don't know?”
“……”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. They didn't even pass it down because they were too embarrassed. This is why the Unorthodox guys are always calling you hypocrites. Sheesh.”
“……”
Yun-gi’s face flushed red.
Given the Kongtong Sect’s long history, there must have been times when a Sect Leader lost to an outsider.
But the fact that it had been hidden was a source of shame for a descendant.
“Anyway, two hundred years ago, there was a cool, great, and handsome hero in the Twin Dragon Sect named the Radiant Dragon Hero Jincheon. I followed his martial arts all the way here.”
“In other words, you have inherited the legacy of a past master of the Twin Dragon Sect that was passed down in the World Beyond?”
“You’re sharp. You can think of it that way.”
Strictly speaking, it wasn't just inheriting the legacy; the Radiant Dragon Hero himself had returned.
Come to think of it…
A faint memory stirred in Yun-gi’s mind.
Back when he was a young boy.
It was around the time he was serving his Great-Grandmaster.
His Great-Grandmaster, slightly tipsy from his evening drink, had suddenly spoken.
[Gi. Once, a man was born in this Gansu Province who was closest to being the strongest under heaven.]
[Is that true?]
[Yes. Though he wasn't of the Kongtong Sect, it was a shame such a great man passed away so well.]
[…Passed away well?]
Don't people usually just say 'passed away'?
Then, his Great-Grandmaster had cleared his throat and said:
[Ahem, no. Just forget it.]
Young and innocent, Yun-gi had done exactly as he was told and forgotten.
But thinking about it now, if he connected that story with what this man named Patrick was saying, the pieces fit together.
“Then, Master Patrick, what do you intend to do from now on?”
“From now on? Hmm, in what sense are you asking?”
“Our Kongtong Sect is a prestigious Orthodox sect with deep roots in Gansu Province. If we have a new neighbor, shouldn't we at least know their intentions?”
“Ah, so you’re curious whether I’m going to mess with your rice bowl or not?”
“……”
Yun-gi didn't answer.
But he didn't deny it either.
Even among Orthodox sects, friction was bound to occur if they shared the same territory.
Patrick wasn't ignorant of such matters.
“What if,” Patrick started.
“……”
“What if I do mess with it?”
In an instant, Yun-gi’s eyes flashed with intensity.
“We are the Kongtong Sect.”
Seeing that, Patrick smirked.
“Right. I suppose you are.”
This was what it meant to be a prestigious sect.
Even if an opponent was a powerhouse they couldn't defeat, they must not show weakness for the sake of their sect’s honor.
This was the true face of a prestigious Orthodox sect, where disciples were taught from childhood that the honor of their sect was more precious than life itself.